The following U.S. Patents are hereby incorporated by reference in entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,081,605 discloses brake drums and refers more particularly to brake drums of the type employed in association with internal expanding vehicle brakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,398,501 discloses brake drums, and particularly a composite sheet metal and cast metal brake drum having the sheet metal disposed to reinforce and guard against breaking of the cast portions of the drum as placed in service.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,925 discloses a reinforced cast brake drum of iron, steel or ferrous alloy and a method of conditioning used brake drums for re-use and a cast brake drum having a reinforced construction which is directed to the end of eliminating failure by reason of heat checking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,448 discloses a brake drum for motor vehicle wheels having an encompassing band of high tensile metal, such as steel, embedded in and bonded to the cast metal forming the main body of the drum to minimize circumferential end expansion or bell-mounting of the drum, to reduce cracking of the cast metal, and to retain the drum in serviceable condition if cracks should develop.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,936 discloses a method of forming a brake drum that includes casting an iron cylindrical braking drum with a flange end and an opened end to include a plurality of generally axially extending fins around an exterior surface thereof. The casting includes providing the fins with radially extending side walls which diverge along a length thereof from the opened end to a widest distance therebetween at a predetermined location from the opened end and converge along the length thereof from the predetermined location to the flange end. Accordingly, adjacent side walls of adjacent fins define a space therebetween having its narrowest portion at the predetermined location. A braking surface is machined about an interior of the cylindrical braking drum. A top of the fins is machined at either side of the predetermined location to include a shoulder at the end thereof away from the opened end. A steel band is formed and secured to the braking drum at the top of the fins to encircle the braking drum at the predetermined location.